Selene
Hint: Click the painting! Selene in horto vitae habito warning: contains alternate universe content- if you're not into the idea of aus you might as well turn around Selene is a SilkWing dragoness that currently leads the New Chrysalis, an organization attempting to liberate the SilkWings and the LeafWings. Unlike the original Chrysalis, her organization aims to keep the HiveWings' population controlled and also to thwart Pyrrhian influence on Pantala. Despite her soft, motherly demeanor, she is a vengeful leader who has the potential to become the type of dragon she is attempting to overthrow. She is currently in an on-and-off relationship with Arthemis. Appearance Selene is tall and elegant, her neck long and her steps graceful. Her antennae are a leafy green while her scales are mainly a beautiful shade of tea green. Her accents are pale beige-green while the spots down her neck are pale blue, the same color as her spines. Selene's underbelly is a light powdery shade of blue. Soft and gentle, her eyes are cyan. Her wing membranes are tba. She has the voice of Desdemona from Fallout 4 (warning: swears). Personality Soft and gentle, Selene is careful with her words- her greatest strength. Selene is usually kind-hearted and motherly, her temper hardly ever showing. She cares for her followers as if they were her own children however is cautious when it comes to letting in outsiders, even if they are fugitives running from the HiveWings. Despite being seen as an all-around good dragon, Selene has a strong hatred for those not of Pantala or her side. Pyrrhians should stay on their continent, and the HiveWings should be subject to the same torture that her own tribe is, she says. Backstory Prior Selene's parents were simple dragons, her mother Hollyblue being a healer while her father Skipper was on the Hive's construction crew because of his lazy, irresponsible behavior as a dragonet. They did not know each other before they were assigned each other as partners. Selene was their only dragonet because as a poorer family in the Tsetse Hive, they couldn't support any other dragonets. Dragonethood Hatched as an only dragonet, Selene was her parents' pride and joy from the beginning. Their family didn't have much but Skipper and Hollyblue did what they could to provide for their daughter. Selene was taught to obey the HiveWings and to fear the LeafWings. The HiveWings would always provide for her if she listened to them. She excelled in school, mainly in silk studies and history. Selene loved history class, she knew she was the very best at it and always asked questions, which is perhaps what got her first talking about things HiveWings would prefer a SilkWing not talk about. She had only heard rumors from classmates whose relatives had gone missing or her school's resident oddball about what was the Chrysalis. Her parents quickly silenced her questions one night at dinner when she brought up the mysterious organization to her mother, who proceeded to sternly berate her daughter for saying such a thing. Selene had never seen her mother act this way and immediately knew something was up. Post-Metamorphosis When Selene finally went through metamorphosis and emerged with pure silk and beautiful lavender, pale pink and powder blue wings, she was given a handsome SilkWing named Pipevine as her partner. Like most SilkWing partnerships, theirs was loveless and they saw each other as friends, barely even talking to each other. Her childhood questions about the Chrysalis never became clear until Pipevine brought up the subject and asked her if she knew any dragons apart of what was then the old Chrysalis. Their conversation continued and she soon found herself immersed in a whole new world, one where there was a possibility that one day the SilkWings would be free to say and do whatever they wanted. Pipevine and Selene continued their lives; something was there between them that wasn't before now that they had this connection. If asked, Selene might have even said that she...loved him. She joined the Chrysalis officially and quickly became one of its most valued members. However, word of two SilkWings dragonet and a bunch of Pyrrhians banding together spread around...one of the dragonets even joined the association. Queen Wasp, as can be imagined, was infuriated, while the entirety of the Chrysalis was terrified. By saving these dragonets, they had endangered their own mission. Everything was chaos. Pyrrhians began showing up on Pantalan shores, preaching peace and tolerance. Selene was not having any of it. Especially after a HiveWing raid on the Chrysalis' main base. All of the Chrysalis members were criminalized on that day, immense bounties placed on most of the leading members' heads. Pipevine was one of the many dragons killed, breaking Selene's heart. She escaped with a few other rebels, one being another SilkWing named Arthemis, whom she deemed her second-in-command. The Chrysalis is not entirely dead, what is now the "old Chrysalis" still remains, somewhere. Selene and the survivors set off towards Beetle Lake where they established a small settlement. They founded their own rebel movement, the New Chrysalis. It was clear: peace would not work, it would only lead to more death. The SilkWings had to fight back against the HiveWings and the Pyrrhians, but to do so they would have to put aside their grudges against the LeafWings. Relationships Hollyblue and Skipper "Oh, goodness me...you're still out there, wondering what became of me. You can't speak with me or else you'll be accused of treason, too. I promise, I'll see you one day again...soon...maybe I can send a message somehow." Selene loves her parents dearly, even though she hasn't seen them in so long. She knows that they want to know her whereabouts, and she sympathizes with their situation: the two of them are still in the HiveWings' clutches, feasting on lies they don't even know are lies. Now that she has contacts in the Hives, maybe she can tell them she's alive. Pipevine "It feels like forever since we were still living our normal lives, the Chrysalis being something we had only just discovered. But don't worry about me, I'm alive and well." Pipevine is one of the few Chrysalis members Selene still grieves for. Even though she is now in a rather on-and-off relationship with Arthemis, Selene misses Pipevine dearly and wonders what life would be like if he hadn't been executed by the HiveWings. Arthemis "If only you weren't so overdramatic and sensitive all the time! If you want to keep your place as my right talon then you'll have to grow thicker scales. But...sometimes you're so sweet and loyal that I can't help but pardon you, y'know?" Arthemis is Selene's on-and-off lover. She met Selene originally in the old Chrysalis, and they slowly became friends. After the fall of the Chrysalis, Arthemis followed Selene to Beetle Lake and helped her form the New Chrysalis. She was awarded with a place at Selene's right talon for her loyalty, however the two have constant arguments over petty things. Recently, though, Arthemis was captured by HiveWings and imprisoned in the Wasp Hive. Leanira "You're the reason why dragons like me take the fight to Queen Wasp. Dragons like you aren't a burden, you're an inspiration. You keep us smugglers going." Selene has never seen Leanira in-person, she's only seen sketches of the maimed dragoness, but she's aware of her situation. She feels pity for Leanira and wonders if maybe one day she can free her fellow SilkWing and kill her captors. Ant "Dragonets like you are the only reason I can't carry out my plan. I would be destroying your entire life...your family, your friends, everything you know." Innocents such as Ant are what make Selene feel guilty for all of the things she's done. She is hesitant to take down the HiveWings and put them through the hell they put her kind through, but at the same time she knows she has to. Trivia *As a human, Selene would be a woman in her early thirties with short blonde hair who works as a politician. *She is a character later on in Talking Trees and is first seen in the epilogue but mentioned several times before. *Her story as the leader of the New Chrysalis is inspired by her creator's disdain for events in the 3rd arc involving Pyrrhian characters. *Her design and name are based on the butterfly actias selene. Gallery File:Selene.fullbody.png|Colored by Fyrestorm FyreSelene.png|Art by Cloud of the IceWings